BP Refinery Cleanup Plan Enters Final Stageby Michele Barlow

The early 1800s gave birth to the Rocky Mountain fur trade. By 1840, the mountain men had trapped out most streams and started searching for new work.

Jim Bridger began guiding wagon trains through the vast western territory. In the first commercial application of oil, Jim and his friends mixed crude oil from a seep near present-day Casper with flour and sold the concoction to emigrants for axle grease. The year was 1851.

In 1908, significant oil reserves were discovered along the North Platte River in Casper and two small companies quickly became the largest oil refiners and producers in Wyoming. Standard Oil Company entered the refining scene in 1915 and eventually purchased the two small companies.

It's estimated that it will take 400 years to clean up all groundwater contaminants.

Refining operations in Casper were dominated by separating crude oil into usable products like gasoline, fuel gas, kerosene and distillates. In 1985, Standard Oil Company became Amoco Corporation. At the peak of production in 1987, the refinery processed an average of 48,000 barrels of oil per day. All refining operations ceased in 1991 and the site was abandoned. The current site owner is BP Corporation North America Inc., formed by the 1998 merger of Amoco and British Petroleum.

Following 12 years of intensive negotiating, field testing and a citizen lawsuit, on September 19, 2001, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) and BP signed a 100-page cleanup plan for the refinery site. Remedy Decision No. 1 (RD-1) - describing soil and groundwater contamination, its risk to human health and the environment and the required cleanup techniques - is the first of three planning documents for cleaning up pollutants on BP properties in Casper.

Soils. The RD-1 cleanup is centered on underground pipe removal from the former refinery. In early August, BP's contractor began excavating the estimated 600,000- 750,000 feet of pipe. Before crews remove pipe in an area, they are required to take out "hotspots" of lead and arsenic contamination in the soil. Hydrocarbon contamination hotspots in the soil will be removed after pipe removal.

The RD-1 absolves BP of responsibility for cleaning up the soils to residential standards. Instead, soils must be excavated to standards that protect non-residential reuse to a depth of six feet and protect construction workers to a depth of eight feet. Site wide, the cleanup time period is three to five years for excavation and 50 to 100 years for soils capable of leaching into groundwater.

Groundwater. The cleanup of groundwater is focused on flushing techniques, planting trees to encourage microbial activity and maintaining the existing barrier wall between the former refinery and the North Platte River. Some areas will also be injected with air to stimulate the release of volatile contaminants and enhance microbial activity.

Among the groundwater contaminants, benzene poses the greatest risk to human health and the environment, and its presence will drive groundwater cleanup. Full cleanup, however, will not be complete until all groundwater contaminants are cleaned up to specific levels. Site wide, it's estimated that it will take 400 years to achieve non-residential reuse standards.

Redevelopment. In early September, the Casper City Council approved a "use-control area" which prohibits specific uses on the refinery site, including residences, day-care facilities, schools and nursing homes. The use-control area is an integral part of RD-1 and was designed to protect humans from contamination that won't be completely removed or eliminated for hundreds of years. BP and community officials are envisioning an 18-hole golf course for the former refinery, a proposal backed by many business interests.

The overarching goal of RD-1 is eliminating or reducing pollution in soils and groundwater to protect public health and the natural environment.

Concerns raised by WOC during the public comment period triggered important changes to the final RD-1: adding definitions and other clarifying language, improving the contingency process, providing a rationale for not extending the barrier wall and including cleanup time periods for the remedies. BP cleanup supervisor Joe Deschamp told the Casper Star-Tribune that our comments helped improve RD-1, saying that WOC "did have some good points…to clarify the remedy so that it's clearer for everyone."

Unlike Jim Bridger's simple solution for squeaky wagon wheels, identifying the most appropriate cleanup solution is tremendously complex. The involvement of several dedicated WOC members in Casper bolstered the cleanup planning process, now entering its final months. Thank you.